Deep submergence electrical assembly

ABSTRACT

A deep submergence electrical assembly including a pair of spaced-apart connectors; a flexible tube sealably connected at each end to a respective connector; at least one wire extending through the tube between the connectors; and the flexible tube being filled with an electrical resistance liquid. The tube may be constructed of plastic, and one of the connectors may have a fill hole and the other connector may have a vent hole for filling the tube with the liquid. One of the connectors may be a socket housing for an underwater light and one or both of the connectors may include a pressure plate which is adapted for sealable connection to a pressure hull.

United States Patent James W. Taylor Pasadena;

RobertE. Pace,llolllnglillis,bothoiCail1. 887,199

Dec. 22, 1969 Nov. 16, 1971 The United States of America 8,8 represented by the Secretary ofthe Navy inventors Appl. No. Filed Patented Assignee DEEP SUBMERGENCE ELECTRICAL ASSEMBLY 9 Claims, 4 Drawing Figs.

Primary Examiner-Joseph H. McGlynn Attorneys-Richard S. Sciascia and Ervin F. Johnston ABSTRACT: A deep submergence electrical assembly including a pair of spaced-apart connectors; a flexible tube sealably connected at each end to a respective connector; at least one wire extending through the tube between the connectors; and the flexible tube being filled with an electrical resistance liquid. The tube may be constructed of plastic, and one of the connectors may have a fill hole and the other connector may have a vent hole for filling the tube with the liquid. One of the connectors may be a socket housing for an underwater light and one or both of the connectors may include a pressure plate which is adapted for sealable connection to a pressure hull.

PAIENTEDunv 1s I97| 3,621,447

SHEET 1 BF 2 JAMES W. TAYLOR ROBERT E PACE INVENTORS BYZMYW ATTORNEY DEEP SUBMERGENCE ELECTRICAL ASSEMBLY The common underwater light assembly includes a glass light bulb which has a base which is fitted within a standard .olled metal threaded male element. The male element is adapted to fit into a corresponding female threaded socket. l he interior of the normally hollow male portion if filled with an epoxy material which bears against the base of the glass bulb and prevents collapse under pressure. The water pressure load on the glass bulb is completely supported by this epoxy filling and when the bulb is used at various depths the highpressure cycles and eventually the glass breaks at its joints with the epoxy material. In many underwater light assemblies 'a boot is utilized about the glass bulb and the socket. It has been found that with the cyclic high pressure the boot breathes and develops a moisture in the contact area within the socket unless this area is protected with a grease. In order to overcome this problem a silicone grease has been utilized in the socket area. Due to the high resistance of this grease it has not been entirely reliable since on occasion it will prevent electrical contact between either the threaded elements or the center contacts within the socket.

Another type of underwater light assembly includes a standard light bulb which has a thin-wall glass tube. The light bulb is enclosed within a heavy-walled glass flask which has its base sealed to a metal housing. This arrangement has not been entirely satisfactory because of the extreme care required to prevent cracking of the flash along its seating surfaces. This cracking has only been minimized by grinding and fire-polishing these surfaces and resting them on a glass-fiber-reinforced neoprene-bearing gasket.

The present state of the art has not provided a satisfactory underwater light assembly for deep submergence work. Most light assemblies have been utilized at depths of less than 2500 feet, however, the requirement now exists for lights to be utilized at depths of 20,000 feet or more. We have provided a light assembly which can be utilized at these great depths with assurance that it will operate reliably without failure. We have accomplished this by filling the entire electrical area of our particular assembly with an electrical resistance liquid. The assembly includes a socket housing which is adapted at one end to sealably receive the base end of a high-pressure light bulb and at its other end is sealably connected to a flexible tube. Electrical wires extend through the tube to make connection with the light bulb within the socket and the entire tube and socket housing are filled with the electrical resistance liquid. Accordingly, the entire length of the tube acts as a diaphragm which enables minimal construction for the socket housing. The broad concept of our invention can be adapted to include a socket housing for receiving electrical elements other than a light bulb, or a deep submergence power transfer cable with a connector at each end.

An object of the present invention is to provide reliable deep submergence electrical assemblies which may be used for such purposes as lighting or for the transfer of electrical power.

Another object is to provide an underwater light assembly which does not have a threaded light socket and which has a light housing of minimal construction.

Still another object is to provide a simply constructed and reliable underwater light assembly which can be utilized at depths of 20,000 feet or more.

Other objects and many of the attendant advantages of this invention will be readily appreciated as it becomes better understood by reference to the description and accompanying drawings which follow.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an exemplary bottommounted light assembly which is being powered from a deep submersible.

FIG. 2 is a side view, mostly in cross section, of an exemplary deep submergence light assembly.

FIG. 3 is a view taken along plane III-III of FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a side view, mostly in cross section, of a deep submergence power transfer cable.

Referring now to the drawings wherein like reference numerals designate like or similar parts throughout the several views there is shown in FIG. 1 an exemplary deep submergence light assembly 10 which may be supported on the floor of the ocean by a stand 12. The light assembly 10 may be powered through a flexible tube I4 which is connected to a hull of a deep submersible 16. As shown in FIG. 2 the light assembly I0 includes a pair of spaced-apart connectors 18 and 20. The connector 18 may be a light socket housing which is adapted to receive the base of a high-pressure light bulb 22, and the other connector 20 may be adapted for connection to the pressure hull 16. The flexible tube 14 is sealably connected between the light housing 18 and the hull connector 20. Within this tube 14 may be disposed a pair of insulated electrical wires 24 which deliver power from the connector 20 to the light bulb 22.

Located within the tube 14, socket housing 18, and connector 20 is an electrical resistance liquid which completely fills these spaces. The liquid and the material of the tube should be compatible so that upon cyclical pressures the flexible tube 14 acts as a reliable diaphragm and equalizes the pressure between the surrounding ocean environment and the interior liquid-filled spaces. Such an arrangement minimizes the construction of the socket housing 18 and connector 20. For the purposes of this invention the liquid should be pourable at 72 F. and atmospheric pressure. In our preferred embodiment an oil such as hydraulic fluid, fluorochemical oils, or silicon oil, is employed. In one of our tests we used a hydraulic fluid, according to Federal Specification MlL-H-5606B, which is a petroleum product and has a viscosity of 10 centistokes at F. The flexible tube 14 was Tygon" which is available from U. S. Stoneware, Inc. in Akron, Ohio. This tubing is made from a vinyl plastic and has a shore durometer of about 65.

The socket housing 18 may be substantially tubular with its right end adapted to receive a portion of a base end 26 of the light bulb 22. The base end 26 of the light bulb may be substantially hemispherical with a diameter slightly larger than the diameter of the right end of the socket housing 18. We have found it desirable to provide an O-ring 28 between the base end of the bulb and the end of the socket housing 18 for providing a good seal and absorbing shock between the bulb 22 and the socket housing 18. The most desirable location for this O-ring 28 is about the leading edge of the socket housing end.

In order to made a secure connection between the bulb 22 and the socket housing 18 a sleeve-type diaphragm 30 may be provided, which receives the bulb 22 and the socket housing 18. This diaphragm 30 may be snugly clamped about the bulb 22 and socket housing 18 by a pair of standard hose clamps 32. It should be noted that this connection does not have to provide a high-pressure seal since the pressure within the socket housing 18 is balanced with the outside sea pressure by the diaphragm efiect of the flexible tube 14.

As shown in FIG. 2 the light bulb leads are completely protected within the socket housing 18. These leads may be fused into the thick glass wall of the bulb by a pair of glass projections at the base end. The light source within the bulb may be mercury vapor, incandescent quartz iodide, or thalium iodide. In order to reflect this light a semicircular light reflector 33 may be mounted about the light bulb 22. This may be accomplished by an annular flange 34 on the light socket housing 18 which mounts an end plate 36 of the reflector 33 by a plurality of bolt-nut combinations.

The scalable connection of the flexible tube 14 to the socket housing 18 may be accomplished by a fitting 38 which at its left end is tubular shaped so as to be received within the flexible tube 14 and at its right end has an annular flange 40 which is adapted for scalable engagement with the end of the socket housing 18. The flexible tube 14 may be sealably connected to the fitting 38 by a standard-type hose clamp 42 and the flange 40 may be sealed against the socket housing 18 by an O-ring 44 and a series of bolts 46 threaded into the end of the housing 18.

The connector 20 at the other end of the flexible tube 14 may include a fitting 48 which is similar to the previously described fitting 38. The fitting 48 has a flange 50 which is sealably connected to one face of a pressure plate 52. The other face of the pressure plate 52 is adapted for high-pressure sealable connection to the underwater pressure hull 16. rings 44 may be provided for making the scalable connections and a series of bolts 54 and 56 may connect the fitting flange to the pressure plate 52 and the pressure plate 52 to the pressure hull 16. The pressure plate 52 may have a plurality of apertures 58 into which there are sealably threaded a series of high-pressure feedthrough terminal plugs 60. These plugs have terminals within the high-pressure hull 16 for connection to power lines 62. It should be noted that the pressure within the fitting 48 is balanced with the outside sea pressure whereas the pressure within the hull l6 withstands the full differential between atmospheric and the outside sea pressure.

It is desirable that the socket housing 18, flexible tube 14, and connector 20 be filled by simply pouring the oil into the interior spaces. This may be accomplished by providing a fill hole and plug 64 in the socket housing 18 and a vent hole and plug 66 in the fitting 48. The oil is then inserted in the fill hole 64 and air is vented through the vent hole 66 until oil completely fills these spaces. if desired, the flexible tube may be constructed of a clear material so as to ensure venting of all air bubbles. it should be noted, however, that some air entrapment will not present a problem since any sizeable length of flexible tubing will provide a large diaphragm effect.

The concept of our invention is broad enough to include a power cable 68 which can be utilized at deep ocean depths and connected and disconnected from pressure hulls without any danger of oil spillage. The power cable 68 includes a pair of connectors 20 and pressure plates 52 which may be identical to the connector 20 and pressure plate 52 shown on the left side of FIG. 2. These connectors 20 may be in communication with one another by a flexible tube 14 which is similar to the tube 14, also shown in FIG. 2. The wires 24 are connected between the feedthrough terminal plugs 60. The fittings 48 are provided with apertures and threaded plugs 66 for filling the inner spaces with oil, such as silicon oil. During connection or disconnection of either connector 20 the interior oil-filled spaces of the power transfer cable 68 remain pressure balanced with the outside sea pressure. There is no danger of component failure due to cyclic high sea pressure since the entire length of the flexible tube 14 acts as a diaphragm.

It is now readily apparent that the present invention provides a broad concept for constructing deep submergence electrical assemblies. ln lieu of the light bulb 22 of the assembly in FIG. 2 other electrically operated devices may be used such as receiver, transmitters, sonars, or electric motors, particularly electric motors which are independently fluidfilled and pressure-balanced. The electrical connection to any of these devices can be made within the socket housing 18 where the spaces are pressure-balanced. As described hereinabove the broad concept also includes a power transfer cable.

Obviously many modifications and variations of the present invention are possible in the light of the above teaching. It is therefore to be understood that within the scope of the appended claims the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described.

We claim:

1. A deep submergence connectors for connection to the the exterior hull portion of a deep submersible comprising:

a pair of spaced-apart connectors which are capable of withstanding the pressure differential between the submersible and the ambient ocean environment;

a flexible tube sealably connected at each end to a respective connector;

at least one wire extending through the tube between said connectors;

the flexible tube being filled with an electrical resistance liquid in communication with the connectors;

each of the connectors sealing the respective end of the tube; a high-pressure feedthrough terminal plug disposed through each respective connector for withstanding the pressure 5 differential between the submersible and the ambient ocean environment; and

said wire being connected between the terminals of the plugs.

2. A deep submergence electrical assembly as claimed in claim 1 wherein:

the flexible tube is constructed of clear plastic; and

one of the connectors has a fill hole and the other connector has a vent hole for said liquid.

3. A deep submergence electrical assembly for connection to the exterior hull portion of a deep submersible comprising:

a pair of spaced-apart connectors;

a flexible tube sealably connected at each end to a respective connector;

at least one wire extending through the tube between said connectors;

at least one of the connectors includes a pressure plate and a fitting, the fitting being sealably connected to one face of the pressure plate;

the opposite face of the pressure plate being adapted for scalable connection to the submersible hull;

said pressure plate being capable of withstanding the pressure difierential between the submersible hull and the ambient ocean environment;

said pressure plate having an aperture which extends between its faces;

a high-pressure metallic feed through terminal plug sealably threaded within said aperture for withstanding the pressure differential between the submersible hull and the ambient ocean environment;

one end of the wire being connected to the terminal of the plug; and

the flexible tube and the connectors being filled with an electrical resistance liquid.

4. A deep submergence electrical assembly as claimed in claim 3 wherein:

an Oring is recessed in each respective face of the pressure plate for providing the scalable connections.

5. A deep submergence electrical assembly comprising:

a pair of spaced-apart connectors;

a flexible tube sealably connected at each end to a respective connector;

at least one wire extending through the tube between said connectors; one of the connectors includes a socket housing which has an outer end;

said outer end having means for sealably receiving the base end bulb portion of a high-pressure light bulb; and

the tube and socket housing being in communication with one another and being filled with an electrical resistance liquid.

6. A deep submergence electrical assembly as claimed in claim 5 including:

the base end of said bulb being sealably mounted within said outer end of the housing; and

one end of the wire being connected to the base end of the bulb.

7. A deep submergence electrical assembly as claimed in claim 6 wherein:

said end of the housing is substantially tubular and the base end of the bulb is substantially hemispherical with a diameter larger than the tube end of the housing;

an O-ring disposed between the tube end of the housing and the base end of the bulb for sealing the bulb mounting and absorbing shock between the bulb and the housing;

a sleeve-type diaphragm sealably receiving the bulb and the housing, and

means clamping the diaphragm to the bulb and the housing.

8. A deep submergence electrical assembly as claimed in 75 claim 7 wherein:

one end of the wire being connected to the terminal of the plug.

9. A deep submergence electrical assembly as claimed in claim 8 wherein:

the flexible tube is constructed of clear plastic; and

one of the connectors has a fill hole and the other connector has a vent hole for said liquid.

* t i i I! 

1. A deep submergence electrical assembly for connection to the the exterior hull portion of a deep submersible comprising: a pair of spaced-apart connectors which are capable of withstanding the pressure differential between the submersible and the ambient ocean environment; a flexible tube sealably connected at each end to a respective connector; at least one wire extending through the tube between said connectors; the flexible tube being filled with an electrical resistance liquid in communication with the connectors; each of the connectors sealing the respective end of the tube; a high-pressure feedthrough terminal plug disposed through each respective connector for withstanding the pressure differential between the submersible and the ambient ocean environment; and said wire being connected between the terminals of the plugs.
 2. A deep submergence electrical assembly as claimed in claim 1 wherein: the flexible tube is constructed of clear plastic; and one of the connectors has a fill hole and the other connector has a vent hole for said liquid.
 3. A deep submergence electrical assembly for connection to the exterior hull portion of a deep submersible comprising: a pair of spaced-apart connectors; a flexible tube sealably connected at each end to a respective connector; at least one wire extending through the tube between said connectors; at least one of the connectors includes a pressure plate and a fitting, the fitting being sealably connected to one face of the pressure plate; the opposite face of the pressure plate being adapted for sealable connection to the submersible hull; said pressure plate being capable of withstanding the pressure differential between the submersible hull and the ambient ocean environment; said pressure plate having an aperture which extends between its faces; a high-pressure metallic feed through terminal plug sealably threaded within said aperture for withstanding the pressure differential between the submersible hull and the ambient ocean environment; one end of the wire being connected to the terminal of the plug; and the flexible tube and the connectors being filled with an electrical resistance liquid.
 4. A deep submergence electrical assembly as claimed in claim 3 wherein: an O-ring is recessed in each respective face of the pressure plate for providing the sealable connections.
 5. A deep submergence electrical assembly comprising: a paiR of spaced-apart connectors; a flexible tube sealably connected at each end to a respective connector; at least one wire extending through the tube between said connectors; one of the connectors includes a socket housing which has an outer end; said outer end having means for sealably receiving the base end bulb portion of a high-pressure light bulb; and the tube and socket housing being in communication with one another and being filled with an electrical resistance liquid.
 6. A deep submergence electrical assembly as claimed in claim 5 including: the base end of said bulb being sealably mounted within said outer end of the housing; and one end of the wire being connected to the base end of the bulb.
 7. A deep submergence electrical assembly as claimed in claim 6 wherein: said end of the housing is substantially tubular and the base end of the bulb is substantially hemispherical with a diameter larger than the tube end of the housing; an O-ring disposed between the tube end of the housing and the base end of the bulb for sealing the bulb mounting and absorbing shock between the bulb and the housing; a sleeve-type diaphragm sealably receiving the bulb and the housing, and means clamping the diaphragm to the bulb and the housing.
 8. A deep submergence electrical assembly as claimed in claim 7 wherein: the other connector includes a pressure plate and a fitting, the fitting being sealably connected to one face of the pressure plate; the opposite face of the pressure plate being adapted for sealable connection to an underwater pressure hull; said pressure plate having an aperture which extends between its faces; a high-pressure feedthrough terminal plug sealably disposed within said aperture; and one end of the wire being connected to the terminal of the plug.
 9. A deep submergence electrical assembly as claimed in claim 8 wherein: the flexible tube is constructed of clear plastic; and one of the connectors has a fill hole and the other connector has a vent hole for said liquid. 